CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — They did not say a word.
None were needed.
Seventeen members of the Black Cultural Society of Prince Edward Island (BCSPEI) stood tall and proud on the lawn outside the Coles Building in Charlottetown listening to the proceedings taking place inside the legislature Friday.
All were dressed in black.
And all wore T-shirts declaring "Black Lives Matter'' – a statement being echoed by millions of people around the world with increasing urgency, sparked most recently by the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed by police during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25.
Thousands of Islanders, as many as 10,000 by one educated estimate, added their voices in a collective call for an end to systemic racism when they took part in a massive Black Lives Matter march in Charlottetown last Friday.
Many took the opportunity to pen their names to a petition calling on the Prince Edward Island government to perform an extensive review of all legislation and policies to help best gauge ongoing inequality faced by Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in education, health care, well-being and job security in the province.
That petition, signed by 2,271 Islanders, was introduced in the legislature by Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly, P.E.I.’s first Black legislator.
He told his fellow MLAs the petition is a historic, powerful starting point to create inclusive human rights in the province – a springboard to foster real change.
“Islanders have spoken and have chosen to be leaders in this memorable and important milestone in our provincial history,’’ he said.
BCSPEI president Tamara Steele said her group is committed to working towards uniting the Island's Black communities and advocating for positive systemic changes that will lead to equality, equity and representation.
"We petition our government to review all provincial legislation to ensure that PEI’s laws are fair and that they foster a province-wide environment of inclusion and access,'' she said.
"Without the filter of an inclusive and racially-focused lens, as our petition suggests, Black Islanders will continue to fall through the cracks in areas of education, health care, well-being and job security. It is in these areas that we are asking our government to focus its immediate attention.''
Shortly before McNeilly’s emotional reading of the petition, all MLAs gathered outside on the lawn to stand alongside the Black petitioners.
McNeilly called the show of solidarity “a great display’’ that simply happened naturally.
“All members came out and we stood together with this,’’ he said.
“We’re all standing together so we can show the rest of the country and the world how to rectify this problem.’’
The BCSPEI members who had waited patiently and quietly on the lawn for well over an hour, exploded with emotion after the petition was introduced.
“You can see the excitement here today … and the biggest thing is our voices are being heard,’’ said McNeilly.
Steele is certainly pleased with the current momentum in a campaign for change.
"These past two weeks have brought out the best of some Islanders and the worst of some others,'' she said.
"But overall we have seen a tremendous outpouring of love and support from the larger Island community which proves that P.E.I. is ready to see action, ready to see change, and ready to support BCSPEI’s vision of equality, equity and justice.''
Petitioning province
Here is the full wording of the petition, brought forth by the executive committee of the Black Cultural Society of Prince Edward Island, that was introduced in the legislature Friday:
"Racial inequalities and inequities exist in Prince Edward Island as experienced by the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities. Challenges are faced by the Black/BIPOC communities in many areas including education – Black/BIPOC students feeling unsafe in schools, and the lack of Black/BIPOC history taught in schools; the effects of the Island’s current housing crisis on the Black/BIPOC community; racial profiling by police; the lack of jobs and job security for the Black/BIPOC community; economic inequality for the Black/BIPOC community; and, health care and mental health support for the Black/BIPOC community.
We petition the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island as follows: That the Prince Edward Island government performs an extensive review of all legislation and policies, applying an inclusive and racially-focused lens, with an immediate focus on education, healthcare, well-being, and job security."
